Directed by Nathan Hope
Written by Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt
Penguin realizes his feelings for Edward Nygma, while Jim must choose between the two women he loves.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Penguin is in love with Ed.
- Betty and Veronica: Lee Thompkins and Valerie Vale meet this episode. While being held hostage. Then Jervis forces Jim to choose which woman he loves more, and which one will be saved.
- Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress: What the poor bride wears after she's hypnotized by Jervis to jump off a building with her husband to the street below.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Penguin is having trouble telling Ed about his feelings for him.
- Cruel Mercy: When Jim asks Jervis to kill him instead of Lee or Valerie, Jervis replies that he wants Jim to suffer. So he'll keep Jim alive to mourn the woman he loves.
- Damsel out of Distress: Lee and Valerie try this. They manage to pick the lock on Lee's chains, but their tool breaks before they can free Valerie. Lee refuses to leave without her, and they both ultimately remain hostages.
- "Die Hard" on an X: The episode may as well be called "Die Hard with a Vengeance from Wonderland to Gotham", the way Jervis is playing mind games with Gordon similar to the mind games John McClane was forced to play in the form of "Simon Says".
- Evil Phone: Jervis calls Jim on payphones, housephones, wherever he knows Jim will be. Each time Jim picks up the phone, he knows he'll have to make another Sadistic Choice.
- I Have Your Wife: Jervis kidnaps both Valerie and Lee, knowing that Jim has feelings for both of them. He passes on kidnapping Barbara, seeming to have figured out pretty easily that her and Jim are not on good terms anyway.
- Identical Stranger: While choosing a wine for his dinner with Penguin, Ed meets a woman named Isabella whose face is a dead ringer for Kristen Kringle's.
- I'm Not a Hero, I'm...: Inverted. Jervis is the one who tells Jim he's not a hero, he's a villain.
- Love Hurts: Pretty much the theme of this episode. Penguin realizes his feelings for Ed — Ed may or may not return his feelings, and regardless, a Kristen Kringle lookalike has just caught his attention. (With a riddle, no less!) Jervis forces Jim to choose between Lee and Valerie, knowing Jim loves them both — Jim's choice results in Valerie being shot, while now Lee either thinking that Jim loves her less than Valerie or that he loves her more but was willing to risk another woman's life as a result of that love. Interestingly we saw none of what's happening between Bruce and Selina this episode.
- Mythology Gag: Villain calls hero on a payphone and forces hero to do what he says, or hostages will die? Now is this Jervis Tetch on Gotham or Victor Zsasz in Batman: Arkham City?
- Never My Fault: Jervis refuses to accept that Alice's death was his fault. When Jim tries to hammer that home, Jervis has a Villainous Breakdown.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Jim delivers two to Jervis at different points.
- Revenge by Proxy: Jervis insanely believes that Jim is to blame for his sister's death and decides to take his revenge. To do so, he kills innocent people while giving Gordon a Sadistic Choice about who to save, instead of killing Gordon himself.
- Reverse Psychology: Jervis initially asks Jim which woman he loves more. Then he switches to asking which woman to kill. When Jim chooses Lee for Jervis to kill, Jervis shoots Valerie, reasoning that Jim loves Valerie more than Lee. What isn't clear is whether Jim anticipated this from Jervis and named Lee so that Jervis wouldn't shoot her.
- Sadistic Choice: Jervis Tetch gives Jim three of these. In the first one, Jim saves the child, while the newlyweds die. In the second one, Jervis fries both hostages when Jim refuses to choose between them. In the third one, Jim names Lee as the one to kill, so Jervis shoots Valerie, assuming Jim loves her more.
- Shout-Out: Isabella, the Kringle lookalike whom Ed meets in the wine store, has the same platinum blonde hairdo as Kim Novak in Vertigo.
- Take Me Instead: At the tea party, Jim asks this of Jervis, even forcing Jervis's gun to his forehead. He says that he is the one Jervis is angry at, and that Jervis should kill him. If he hadn't said "Let Lee and Valerie go" and thus reminded Jervis about them, he might have gotten his way.
- Troll: Jim deliberately hangs up on Jervis, twice, to get on his nerves. Jervis is genuinely annoyed about it.Jervis: Dismissive, rude
I don't like your attitude - Workaholic: Valerie really loves her job, as seen when she's interviewing Lee about Alice's blood while they're being held hostage in Lee's bathroom. On the other hand, Lee suggests that it's Valerie's way of coping with the stress of imminent death.
- Would Hurt a Child: Jervis hypnotizes a child to walk in front of a moving truck. Luckily Jim intervenes.
- You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: Not only did Alice's blood heal Barnes's leg, it also gave him the power of super strength that can be triggered whenever he gets incredibly angry.
